This invention relates to a print control for a dot matrix printer. More particularly, this invention relates to a print control for use with an information processing device of small capacity, such as a handheld computer having such a printer.
A conventional dot matrix printer includes a dot printing mechanism which is mounted on a carriage. The carriage is movable in the direction of the width of the printing paper. The dot generating mechanism is driven in synchronism with movement of the carriage to print characters or patterns. To harmonize the position of the dot generating mechanism with the timing of the dot generating mechanism, a stepper motor is employed for shifting of the carriage.
With this arrangement, driving of the dot generating mechanism is sychronized with the shifting movement by using a timing signal. However, the source of the timing signal must be capable of supplying high peak powers when the stepper motor is driven. This presents a problem in the case of handheld devices in which a battery cell is used as the power source.